Sleepless Dreams
by Judanim
Summary: [Rated PG-13 for safety] Another citizen of Zanarkand finds herself in Spira after Sin's attack...
1. On the Brink

Author's Note: Okay, first off, I will say this is my first official FFX venture, so be kind! Also, I hope I haven't any mistakes here...If I have, email me at and let me know! Or just review it and tell me there. Either one works.

Disclaimer: Everything here belongs to Squaresoft, Square Enix, or whatever the stupid company's called. The only thing I own is Camilla and all that goes with her. Even though the Green Magic spheres kinda resemble materia, but yeah...

Sleepless Dreams  
by Judanim

Chapter One: _"On the Brink"_

Camilla awoke with a start as she felt something bang against the side of her house. She checked the clock on her nightstand and was horrified to find that it read 5:30. Then, she heard a youthful male voice coming from outside. She touched a hand to her forehead and rolled her eyes. She got out of bed and pulled on a pair of black pants and a green shirt, putting her long dark chocolate brown hair into a ponytail. She left her bedroom and walked up to the deck of her house.

Much to her surprise, she saw a teenager with shaggy blonde hair tossing a blue and white ball, more commonly called a blitzball, into the air then flipping up in the water and kicking it towards the nearest solid structure. This of course happened to be her house.

"Tidus, isn't it a little early to be practicing blitzball?" she asked, yawning a bit.

Tidus surfaced after faintly hearing her voice in the water. "What?" It was almost too easy to see the annoyance in his neighbor's green eyes. "Oh, uh, hey Camilla."

Camilla rolled her eyes. "So, where's the rest of the Abes?" she asked, noting that he was alone. _Probably asleep like everyone else_, she thought.

He shrugged. "Dunno. Didn't call 'em. I couldn't sleep, so I came out here."

"So you decided to practice at five-thirty in the morning?" Camilla posed.

The blonde teenager merely nodded. "Why?"

This is what reminded her of the eleven-year age difference between them. She was twenty-eight, while he was only seventeen, but they'd known each other for so long that it didn't seem to hold any weight between them. Except the fact that most Zanarkand teenagers hadn't a drop of sense in their entire beings. That might have been because mostly all they did was blitz or think about members of the opposite sex.

Camilla half-smiled. "Nothing. Just don't hit my house again, okay? Some people actually sleep when the sun is down."

Tidus gave a cocky grin. "But I thought Zanarkand was the city that never sleeps?"

"Good night, Tidus," Camilla replied over her shoulder as she walked back to the door leading into her house.

"Good morning!" Tidus called as Camilla slammed the door shut.

* * *

Later in the morning, at much more decent hour, Camilla and her friend Jilah were sitting on one of the many overpasses in Zanarkand. From their perch they could see the entrance to the stadium inside the dome to the north, which was in preparation for the Jecht Memorial Cup. 

"So, who are you betting on to win the cup?" Jilah asked.

Camilla smiled at her friend. Asking her that question wasn't the smartest thing her friend had ever done. "The Abes of course. Why would I bet on anyone else?"

Jilah shrugged. "Just checking, 'cause if you had lost faith in the Abes, then I think the entire city has to worry." She sent a playful grin towards her friend.

"That, and you probably would have lost half your savings on a bet, right?" Camilla quipped, glancing at her companion.

The dark blonde woman looked mildly offended. "What would make you think that I, of all people, would lose nearly all of my gil over the biggest thing to happen in Zanarkand since the creation of blitzball?"

Camilla had to roll her eyes. Her gaze wandered over the city, until she saw a man dressed in red walking towards the northern limits. Unbeknownst to her, a smirk found its way onto her face. _Yes, I caught him today._

At this very moment, Jilah was trying to explain to Camilla the technical information of the two competing blitzball teams: the Abes and the Duggles. Trying was the key word. "Camilla? Are you listening?"

"Yeah," she replied distractedly, her eyes still watching the man in red. "Hey, listen, I've gotta go. See ya at the match?"

Jilah nodded, an eyebrow raised, as Camilla dashed off. Most days this happened. They would be talking about something important, and then Camilla would see something interesting and leave. The thing was, she never explained where she was going or what it was that had caught her interest so quickly. But, Jilah never asked. Even if she did, Camilla wouldn't answer.

* * *

Camilla raced down the overpass to the lower streets of Zanarkand, heading dead north. She was following the man in red, and even though she couldn't see him, she knew exactly where he was going. She ran into quite a few people. Some yelled insults at her, others greeted her kindly with a wave. This wasn't her first run through the city chasing the man in red. 

When the crowds thinned out, Camilla knew she was heading in the right direction. Sometimes she got lost, but only when she wasn't paying attention. Just ahead were the northern limits of Zanarkand, but still west of the dome. In the distance, she saw his outline standing by the water, still as the statues in front of the stadium. She slowed her pace to a walk so she wouldn't seem like she had been chasing him there, but in truth she was. And he knew it.

Before long, there wasn't much distance between the two of them. She slowly stepped forward to stand next to him, gazing out onto the ocean.

"You're early," he said in a deep, controlled voice. "Jilah quieter than usual?"

Camilla felt something strange in her stomach when he spoke. Ever since they'd met ten years ago, when she had only been eighteen, he always had the same affect on her. She could never explain it, though. Teenage clarity had long since passed her by. "Talkative as ever. One would have to say that you're early."

The man didn't seem to notice the subtle changes in her tone. He never did. It wasn't that he was dense or anything, he was just very silent about most things. "I didn't stop by to see Tidus. He was practicing with the Abes."

"That's probably because the tournament's tonight, Auron," she replied. She had to give a little laugh. Maybe he was a little dense. "Are you coming?" The question was pointless. He never attended a blitzball match, even one as important as the tournament.

Auron continued to stare at the ocean. He felt something out there…he just couldn't figure out what. "I have some things to do," he told her.

She sighed. "You always do." She glanced at him, then followed his gaze. "Can you honestly tell me there are things more important than watching Tidus win the Cup?"

He was silent. Then, he looked at her. "Do you remember Jecht at all?"

Camilla was surprised. "I was nearly eighteen when he died. Of course I remember him. He was an egotistical drunk, for the most part, but I've seen him be the nice guy on occasion. Why? What brought this up?" She didn't notice Auron's wince at the sound of the word "died."

"That's not the Jecht I remember," he answered.

More surprise filled Camilla's expression. "You knew Jecht? But…that's impossible! You came here a month after he died. How could you have known him?"

Auron turned around and finally looked straight at her. "How could you have lived next door to him for eighteen years and not known him?"

Camilla felt the sting in his words. Still, she was confused. Using logic, it was virtually impossible that Auron had known Jecht at all. It seemed, though, that he had indeed known him, and known him well. No words passed her lips because she wasn't sure what to say.

The thirty-five year old knew from her silence that she was at a loss for words. Though, he couldn't explain how he knew Jecht. For one, it was an unbelievable story to begin with. Secondly, in the dream world of Zanarkand, there were things that people didn't know about, things that they _shouldn't_ know about. It was a sheltered life, to be certain, but it had to be kept that way. Bad things could happen if the bubble burst.

Suddenly, there was a rumbling in the ocean. Both turned, momentarily forgetting their dispute over the legendary blitzball player. The seas surrounding Zanarkand were always calm. Any storm, inclement weather, or anything else came from towering Mount Gagazet to the south. Everything else was peaceful.

"Something's out there," Camilla said quietly.

Auron squinted with his good eye, looking for anything unusual on the horizon. He couldn't see anything, but he could sense it. That's probably how they both knew it was there. Then again, nothing said that it had to be on the surface. It could've been deep underwater. Was it possible that…? He stopped the thought. Even if it was the truth, he didn't want to put it to words. Logical or not, he didn't want to make it official.

Camilla glanced at Auron and saw the far away look in his eye. What could he have been thinking about? It was one of the many moments where she'd give up anything to know what his thoughts were, to be able to read his mind. He was silent so often, that it seemed sometimes that she needed the ability just to have a good conversation with him. Then it dawned on her. "You know what's out there, don't you?"

He was one step away from answering the question. Yes, he knew, but he couldn't tell her. He didn't want to take that risk. Even though he knew that Camilla wasn't like the other people of Zanarkand, she cared too much about his existence for one, but he still couldn't tell her. Regardless of who she was, she was still a part of a world that might die if he told her. So, he remained silent.

She sighed. "Fine, don't tell me. Go ahead and curl up into your little shell like you always do. Hopefully, I'll see you tomorrow, if you remember that there are more people than yourself in this world."

With those words, Camilla turned around and left the small area. Auron watched her leave with heaviness in his heart. Somehow, he knew there wouldn't be a tomorrow, for Zanarkand at least. He looked at the ocean one more time. "I'll be seeing you later, then…Jecht."


	2. The Blitzball Match

Author's Note: Okay, before I say this, I must say that I like living. Anyway, I actually finished this on Sunday night/Monday morning, but I chose not to publish it until after I got back from vacation. So, yeah... Okay, I'd also like to take this oppurtunity to say that, even though I practically watched the opening Zanarkand scene play-by-play, I didn't get all of the details of the game exact. So sue me. Wait. Don't. Also, uh, in the opening scene, when Tidus is walking down the overpass to the stadium, does anyone else notice that the commentator (Zanar, I believe his name is) sounds like Auron? Hmmm...

Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. Auron, Tidus, Zanarkand, the little fayth--they all belong to Square. I do own, however, Camilla and all that goes with her (the katana, especially. There's more background behind that thing if anyone wants to know, even though it doesn't have much to do with FF [clears throat]).

Sleepless Dreams  
by Judanim

Chapter Two: _"The Blitzball Match"_

Night fell on the wondrous city of Zanarkand. Everything was lit up, not a speck of darkness could be found within the metropolis. Nearly everyone in the city was heading towards the dome, to the stadium to watch the Abes from A-East and the Duggles from C-South compete for the cup. Camilla was one of those heading towards the stadium. As she walked down the overpass, she couldn't help but think about her conversation with Auron earlier that day. Why didn't he answer her question? It wasn't all that complicated, but he didn't reply at all.

She remembered looking at him as he was gazing at the ocean. The look in his eye had told her that he had an answer, that he had an explanation. He just chose not to share it. Something was holding him back…but what?

"Hey, move!" someone behind her yelled, pushing her rudely out of the way.

Camilla rubbed her left temple before getting out of the road. She'd almost forgotten how serious the people of Zanarkand were about their blitzball. Sure, she loved the sport too, but she'd never get mad at someone for walking a little slower than everyone else walks. She sat down on the edge of the overpass and sighed. Auron had been so cryptic that morning, more than usual. He was a total enigma, but yet she refused to give up trying to solve him. For ten years she hadn't even thought of giving up, when even Tidus (who Auron watched over from afar) felt that it was impossible. Now, though, she was beginning to have her doubts. She wouldn't be so confused if she'd just kept to herself and stayed away from him. But, it was hard sometimes. Auron seemed like the only person in Zanarkand that she could really talk to, yet he was the one who frustrated her the most. Still, something drove her to try to figure him out.

"Camilla!" a light, female voice called. "What are you doing here? The game's in a few minutes! We're gonna be late!"

The twenty-eight year old looked up to see Jilah running towards her. Suddenly her heart didn't seem to be into watching blitzball, but she had to go. She couldn't let Tidus down. "Just taking a quick break. These crowds are brutal."

Jilah grinned. "The crowds are always brutal during blitzball season, you dork. Now come on! We gotta go see the Abes kick butt!"

* * *

The stadium was jam-packed with the people of Zanarkand. There was hardly any seats open, but there were just enough to seat anyone who hadn't quite made it to the stadium yet. The place could house the entire city if the occasion called for it, and blitzball was definitely one of those occasions.

Camilla sat her in seat, somehow remaining sane with the chaos going on around her. She saw Tidus step up from the ring that surrounded the sphere pool. He waved at her, giving his trademark confident grin. She waved back and smiled half-heartedly, her mind still focused on the conversation. A look of concern flashed across Tidus' face, or at least she thought it did. It was hard to tell from the distance.

Tidus turned away as a ball of energy in the center of the stadium exploded, revealing the sphere pool. He and the rest of the Abes jumped in, followed closely by the Duggles. The former were clad in yellow and black uniforms, whilst the latter donned crimson ones. Both were championship caliber teams, so this was going to be one exciting match. One had to wonder if ten minutes was going to be long enough, both for the teams and the fans. Then again, there was always overtime.

The crowd went nuts as both teams launched into an all-out offensive. The Abes' midfielder got it first and tried passing it to Tidus. The Duggles' midfielder, who had an insane blocking ability according to Jilah, managed to block the pass and headed for the goal. Many of his teammates followed, but the Abes definitely weren't having it. The defenses kicked into gear, the left one managing to tackle the ball away from the midfielder.

Tidus wriggled out of a tough spot where he was surrounded by two of the Duggles. He gave a sign to make it known that he was open, and the ball came flying his way. The opposing left forward tackled him, but he managed to get away with the ball still in his hands. Endurance was something he'd quickly built up in the year he'd been playing.

Camilla watched the game with a smile, most of her problems disappearing into the game. The conversation with Auron stayed in her mind, but she ignored it for a little while. Auron could wait until the Abes took the cup.

Jilah was screaming her head off, rooting for the Abes. The fact that she had money placed on the team didn't help matters, but she wasn't acting any differently from anyone else in the crowd.

Two more players decided it would be fun if they ganged up on Tidus and tried to take the ball, but the Abes' best shooter and left forward was quicker than that. Somehow one of the Duggles managed to get the ball, but he wasn't worried. He tackled the player hard enough to send them flying out of the sphere pool, landing in the crowd. The ball went loose, and the remaining player got it, but Tidus made short work of him as well, and headed towards the goal.

The other players from both teams headed towards the goal as well: the Duggles to stop Tidus, and the Abes to stop them. The Duggles' defenses were kicking into high gear, but many knew that that wasn't enough to stop one of the best shooters in blitzball history.

A crimson-clad defense stood in Tidus' way of the goal. He broke through them with ease, and went in for his shot. He kicked the ball up in preparation for his Sphere Shot, and quickly followed it. He flipped in midair, and was seconds away from shooting the goal, when he opened his eyes and saw something strange. A huge floating ball of water was laying waste to Zanarkand, shooting out blasts of energy at the stadium. "Huh?" Tidus wondered. Then, he started to fall, somehow flipping over again.

Camilla looked up, the euphoria of the game leaving her. Tidus was falling straight downwards, to where she didn't know. The stadium was in sudden chaos. People were fleeing as the structure began to fall apart. She looked around for Jilah, and then saw a piece of the metal ceiling lying where a whole section used to be. She ran to the spot when saw a bit of a blonde head poking out from underneath.

"Jilah?" she called out tentatively among the madness.

There was no answer. Camilla lifted as best she could a small section of the broken ceiling, and gasped as she saw the bloodied body of her friend. Tears came to her eyes, and she wanted to stay there forever and ask why, but time didn't allow her. She had to find Tidus, and where she found him, she'd probably find Auron. Or the other way around, it didn't matter.

Camilla left the stadium, running around fallen pieces of building as she went. The chaos was worse outside. Suddenly, time froze, and a little boy wearing a purple hooded robe stepped forward. "Now is the time," he said.

"Time for what?" she replied, half out of curiosity, and half wanting to ditch the kid and find Auron and Tidus, the only people in Zanarkand besides Jilah who she truly cared about.

"Destiny," the boy responded simply, and a sword appeared in his hand. It was a katana, with a beautiful gold hilt. Engraved into the blade was a symbol Camilla had never seen before, but she still recognized it somehow. "Use it with care and wisdom, Green Mage." Then, he disappeared, and time resumed.

Camilla stood in front of the ruined dome, dumbfounded. She stared at the katana in her hand, not sure what to do with it. Then, her mind began working again: Auron and Tidus.

* * *

Minutes earlier, outside the dome in the same place where Camilla was currently standing, Tidus ran outside, more scared and confused than words could express. He'd just seen half his city get blown to pieces. What else was he supposed to feel?

He spotted Auron standing some feet away. He stopped short, even more confused. "Auron!" The man in red didn't turn. He ran closer. "What are you doing here?"

Auron looked up. "I was waiting for you." He started away from the dome, hoping like hell that the blond blitzball player was smart enough to follow him.

Tidus stared at his guardian as he retreated. "What are you talking about?" He quickly followed him out onto the overpass. Keeping up with Auron was a task easier said than done. Usually the younger one was faster, but something gave speed to the older man's steps as they ran down the overpass.

Then, things seemed to slow down even more. Tidus stopped, looking around. Everything froze--everything but him. He turned around and saw a little boy in a purple robe standing there, staring up at him.

"It begins," the little boy said.

Tidus glanced around again, then stared harder at the boy. "What?"

"Don't cry," he said with pure calm in his voice.

As Tidus took a couple steps closer to the kid, he disappeared and things began moving again. He spun around, looking for the little boy. "What the…?" He turned until he saw Auron standing further down the overpass. "Hey, wait!"

* * *

Camilla ran hurriedly up the overpass, a little unbalanced due to the katana in her hand. It wasn't an especially big blade, but it was enough to knock her off-center, and probably take out anyone who tried to mess with her. She got onto the overpass, quickly realizing that she was running in the wrong direction. She didn't care; she had to find Tidus and Auron. What if they were dead already?

To her relief, she saw them up ahead, staring at something in the sky. She followed their gazes to see a huge floating ball of water. Inside, there seemed to be a strange creature of some sort, but she couldn't identify it. She was close enough to hear Auron speak.

"We called it 'Sin,'" he said.

Tidus looked at Auron, blinking a few times. "'Sin?'"

Then, a loud shattering of glass turned all three away from the gigantic creature floating in the middle of the city. A bizarre, well, thing had just popped out of the side of a building, and it released strange smaller creatures from its tentacles onto the overpass. They ganged up on Tidus, who tried to push them away in futility and ended up falling down.

Camilla glanced at the katana in her hand, realizing she could help. Given she didn't know how to use the thing, but she hoped that her mind had some kind of natural instinct for it. She ran up to Auron and Tidus. Before she could speak, Auron's words stopped her.

He offered a long sword to the youngest of the three. "Take it."

Tidus hesitantly grabbed it. Auron used it as leverage to pull him up. With some difficulty, he managed to get a good feel for the weight of the sword within a few seconds.

Auron took a small step forward. "A gift from Jecht."

The blond looked back in surprise. "My old man?" He used the sword to make some of the strange creatures back off, but it wouldn't hold them for long.

Camilla blinked, considering what Auron had said earlier that day, and what he had said just now. He really had known Jecht. She walked up to his side, holding her katana firmly in her hand. "Would now be a good time offer my help?"

Auron turned, just short of surprised, although it didn't show. "Camilla, what are you--" He cut off his own sentence. He let out a sigh, realizing somehow this fit into the big scheme of things. The cowl of his jacket hid his small smirk. He knew that she was different for a reason. "Perfect time."

She didn't read fully into his expression or his pause; she would've, but there wasn't any time. "Good."

Tidus glanced back again. "Camilla?"

"No questions! Let's stop these things!" she exclaimed, holding up her katana protectively in front of her. She still wasn't sure how to use it.

Tidus nodded and swatted at the creatures again, hitting nothing and falling over again. He struggled to keep his balance with the sword.

Auron glanced at Camilla, not truly worried about her. It was the younger one that scared him. "I hope you know how to use it."

"Uh-huh," Tidus replied, nodding. He fell into a defensive stance and used his arm as the shield instead of his sword.

The eldest had long ago shouldered his blade and prepared for battle. He bent his knees and held his left arm out in front of him, the right holding his huge katana. "These ones don't matter. We cut through!"

Camilla and Tidus both nodded. All three basically just attacked the creature that was standing directly in front of them, as per the oldest one's orders. The creatures weren't that strong, each went down in a single hit from any of the three, but there were lots of them. They moved up until they were surrounded, three in front and two in back.

"Don't bother going after all of them. Cut the ones that matter, and run," Auron advised.

And they did just that. After striking down the three in front, Tidus was the first to head out in front. Camilla was close behind him, while Auron brought up the rear. Ahead the overpass went uphill, so each put a little power in their footwork to maintain speed. More pods appeared behind them, but they just kept running.

Suddenly, the road shook, and all three paused. Camilla looked at Auron, somehow knowing that he knew precisely what was going on. Thing was, she was right. Tidus also looked at the thirty-five year old, expecting him to have the answers. Auron just glanced at the younger two and kept running. Tidus and Camilla exchanged glances and followed him up the path. There they saw the creature that had burst out of the building and sent the foot soldiers after them. For a moment, Tidus hesitated, but Camilla ran forward without question. She was not about to let this _thing_, whatever it was, to rampage through her city.

Before long, all three stood in front of the monster. Five of the smaller creatures seemed to be guarding it, but that wouldn't stop the three.

"Get out of my town!" Tidus exclaimed, his face and voice revealing his anger.

Camilla glanced between her younger friend and the beasts. "Or else."

Auron seemed to grin. "Some can't wait to die!"

The large beast, which was a pillar with tentacles sticking out of the sides and top, hit the party with a powerful spell that left them feeling a little hurt, but not enough to stop them.

The eldest of the three quickly unleashed his Bushido attack, using the Dragon Fang technique, to get rid of the smaller creatures. The monster retaliated with the spell again, but it seemed to do less damage the second time.

Tidus attacked, followed by another spell, and then Camilla struck. She was still surprised how easy it was to hit the monster. Her moves were as quick as Tidus', but with the type of power to match the intensity of Auron's attack. They followed this pattern, not minding the damage they were taking from the spell now. It seemed to do less and less damage with each hit.

Once all of the creature's tentacles were gone, it slowly faded into a mass of little flying balls of energy, or pyreflies. They ran around the base of the lifeless form and stopped for a moment to heal.

Auron was about to grab some potions out of his pack, until he saw a spinning blue sphere sitting on the other side of the bridge. "Over there! Touch it and go!"

Camilla followed him over to the sphere and hesitantly touched the sphere, feeling a strange cooling sensation course through her as she did so. Tidus was right behind her. She looked up at Auron, but he was already running down the road. So many questions lay in her mind, and she had a feeling that the older man could answer nearly all of them.

The younger two quickly followed Auron as soon as they were healed, heading down the overpass. A building nearby displayed an image of Jecht. At this point it was fading in and out, but never disappearing entirely.

Tidus glared at the image. "What are you laughing at, old man?" He looked at Auron and Camilla. "Guys! Let's get out of here!"

Auron was looking straight ahead. "We're expected."

"Huh?" Tidus asked.

Camilla followed his gaze, as the eldest one was silent. Suddenly he ran off. Tidus was two steps away from rolling his eyes. "Gimme a break, man!" With that, he ran up the road, following Camilla, who had instantly run after Auron.

They stopped as a legion of the smaller creatures appeared in front and behind them. They were entirely surrounded, with no way out. Of course, they could've jumped off the side of the overpass, but that would've been suicide.

Each took down a creature in a single hit, but a new one always replaced the fallen one. It was an endless tide of…whatever they were.

Auron sized up the situation, and realized what he knew already--they were severely outnumbered. "Hmph. This could be bad." He glanced around the area, then saw an opportunity. On the other side of the bridge was a tanker just waiting to explode. All it needed was a little push. "That--knock it down."

Tidus was confused. "What?"

Camilla saw the tanker and realized Auron's plan. "Are you crazy?"

Auron glanced at Tidus, and then looked a little longer at Camilla. "Trust me, you'll see." He gave the example by hitting the tanker. The blade acted as a wedge, and it pulled the main part of the tanker from the part that was holding it to the bridge.

Tidus shrugged and decided to trust his guardian, and hit the tanker as well.

The female of the group shook her head. She knew what the results would be, but she also trusted Auron. _I must be nuts_, she thought. Putting her hesitation aside, she struck the tanker.

Between each of their attacks, the little buggers got in quite a few attacks, but most of them were dodged. If nothing else, the two citizens of Zanarkand could dodge like crazy. In no less than two more hits, the tanker went down. The ensuing explosion caused the road to burn up, destroying the strange creatures.

"Go!" Auron said.

Tidus glanced at him and ran ahead. Camilla paused looking at him. She wanted to ask him so many questions, if only she had the time. "Auron--"

"Go," he repeated, only a bit softer. Behind the cool exterior and sunglasses, she could tell there was a gentle pleading in his eyes, because it showed in his voice.

Camilla nodded and followed Tidus, Auron not too far behind the pair. They ran up the road, which was weakening under their steps. Suddenly it gave way, forcing them to jump to reach the next section of the overpass.

Auron made it easy, landing almost gracefully on both feet. It was almost as simple for Camilla, but she didn't clear it quite as well. Auron reached out and grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the ledge. Before he turned to help Tidus, though, she could've sworn his gaze and his touch had lingered on her longer than intended.

Tidus just barely hung onto the ledge. The section of the overpass was suddenly being pulled into the huge floating ball of water, which now didn't seem like water. It shook so hard that Camilla was forced to cling to Auron for balance. She gripped his arm as he pulled Tidus up by his shirt. She felt something pulling her upwards as he glanced between them.

"This is it," he began. He pulled Tidus up to almost eye level. "This is your story. It all begins here."

Camilla gasped as she, Auron, and Tidus were engulfed by a bright light and slowly were sucked into the thing floating above them--Sin. She couldn't help the scream that escaped her lips as her friends, and herself, disappeared into the creature's shell.


	3. Far Away From Home

Author's Note: Warning! From here on out, the story will probably not go anywhere near the game's canon. Okay, maybe in a few places some things will stay the same. For the most part, though, things will definitely change. Most of the events in Luca and on the Mi'ihen Highroad will not change. And...I don't think any of Operation Mi'ihen will change either, but that's way later. I'll give you the official when that chapter comes by. For now, enjoy Chapter Three!

Disclaimer: See _Chapter One_.

Sleepless Dreams  
by Judanim

Chapter Three: _"Far Away From Home"_

The bright light had gone, but so had her two friends. Camilla found herself alone, floating above what looked like Zanarkand. She wasn't sure, though. Nothing made sense. Suddenly, a voice awoke her from her thoughts.

"Hey!"

The voice was familiar. She slowly turned, slowly because it was hard to move around in zero gravity. Then she saw a face to match the familiarity of the voice. "Jecht?"

The man known as Jecht smiled. He was Tidus' father, and one of the most famous blitzball players in all of Zanarkand. "Who'd you expect?"

Camilla snorted. "Certainly not you." She raised an eyebrow and noticed that Jecht didn't seem to be whole, like he was fading or something. "What's going on? Where am I?"

Jecht just shrugged. He was silent.

"Where's Tidus? And Auron?" she asked.

Still the man was silent. Then, he faded into nothingness, which was probably where he'd come from anyway. Her mind swam. She had no idea where she was, or what was going on. The last thing she remembered was being sucked into the giant creature that Auron had identified as Sin. Did that mean that she was inside Sin now? And why had she seen Jecht?

Then, her thoughts started floating away from her, and she couldn't catch them. She tried to conjure up an image that would remain constant in her mind, to keep herself and her thoughts grounded, but nothing stuck. The more she tried, the more she couldn't keep straight. It wasn't long before her mind just shut down and everything around her went black.

* * *

The temple courtyard was filled with people as usual, but something seemed off that day. Everyone was on edge. Rumors of Sin being in the ocean nearby were flying around Kilika, leaving every citizen of the small island in fear. No one had actually seen anything yet, but there was still the chance that something might happen.

Mep walked from the courtyard to the entrance steps. A few people were entering, tiredly climbing the steep and long sets of stairs. He started walking down the steps when someone raced up to meet him. It looked like one of the Kilika Beasts, the local blitzball team.

"Sir Mep!" he called. "Someone has been found at the docks! I think they came in contact with Sin! You must get there right away!"

The priest didn't hesitate. He hoped that the person wasn't too injured, because his White Magic was limited. He didn't know the most powerful of spells, which was of course Full-Life. The most he knew were Cure, Cura, and Esuna. He was trying to learn Life, but it wasn't going so well. He didn't have any chance to work on his skills, what with blitzball and the temple taking up most of his time.

The two ran down the temple stairs, through the twists and turns and useless side paths of the jungle, and into the village. The docks were a bit of maze, and many of the houses looked much the same, so for someone new it was easy to get confused. But, Mep and the blitzball player with him and been raised in Kilika, so it definitely wasn't a challenge.

"Larbeight! Over here!" a female voice called.

"There's Deim," Larbeight said to Mep. "She's with the refugee."

The refugee was only some ways down from the main dock where the S.S. Liki and Winno would anchor and shove off from going to Besaid and Luca, respectively. As Mep approached, the crowd surrounding the refugee thinned to let him through. He was surprised to find that it was a woman. She had dark chocolate brown hair and was wearing the strangest clothes. She looked nothing like anyone he'd ever seen.

"Who found her?" Mep asked.

"I did," Deim replied. "She's unconscious. I was hoping a spell would heal her enough to wake her up or something, that's why I told Larbeight to go get you."

"I see." Mep sighed, preparing himself for the spell casting. He laid out his hands flat, hovering just above the refugee's body. He took in a deep breath. "Cura," he said.

A pink light circled around her for a moment, then disappeared. Slowly she sat up and blinked, gazing in wonder at her surroundings. "Where am I?"

Mep set a hand on her shoulder. "You're in Kilika, safe from harm."

Confusion crossed the refugee's face. She seemed to want to ask a question, but chose not to. She kept silent instead, prepared to answer more inquiries.

"How did you get here, and where are you originally from?" Mep stood up and offered a hand to her, just to be polite.

Hesitantly she went to grab his hand, but just as quickly pulled it back. She stood up on her own and looked at Mep, both uncertainty and confusion in her eyes. "I think…Sin brought me here. And I'm from Zanarkand."

The crowd around them silenced. Even Mep was surprised. He had heard people dish out some pretty big lies (he did work for the temple), but this one topped his list so far. "Hmm…If Sin brought you here, then I'm sure that you've been affected by its toxin. Praise be to Yevon that you even survived! In time you will eventually remember all the correct details of your life. Hopefully, you remembered your name?"

"Camilla," she replied after a moment. He had just basically called her nuts. For what, saying she was from Zanarkand? Why was that odd? If they had never heard of it, they were ones to talk, then. She had never heard of Kilika, either.

"Let's get you to the temple, then, Camilla," Mep continued. "You'll be very safe there, both from fiends and another encounter with Sin."

* * *

Camilla gazed in wonder at the statues surrounding the circular area of the great hall of Kilika Temple. They were the high summoners of the past, the ones who had defeated Sin. That's what Mep had told her, at any rate. Her gaze stopped upon the second statue that stood just to the right of the stairs leading up to the Cloister of Trials.

Mep noticed her gaze and smiled. "That is High Summoner Braska, whose Calm has lasted these past ten years. Many thought that it would be impossible for him to defeat Sin, but he met those rumors and doubts with victory. Kilika Temple has just recently received this statue."

Camilla stared at the statue, brooding over Mep's words. This guy beat Sin ten years ago? She raised a mental eyebrow. Why did everything fall on that date? Jecht died and Auron came to Zanarkand in that same amount. Was there the possibility that it was all related? "Why did people think it was impossible for him to defeat Sin?"

The priest chuckled. "Lord Braska had wed an Al Bhed woman seven years before, and his guardians weren't pictures of perfection, either. One was a fallen warrior monk, and the other…" Mep shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Get some rest, Camilla. Questions can wait until the morning." With that, he walked away.

When he had gone outside of the great hall, she walked in front of the statue of High Summoner Braska. She had a feeling that everything she knew at the moment had something to do with this man, she just wasn't sure what. And she knew for a fact that Mep was hiding something from her, and that she would discover. For now, though, she was content with exiting the great hall and using the spare nun's chambers to get some sleep.

* * *

The next day was extremely bright and beautiful. The people of Kilika were a bit calmer than the day before because Sin hadn't appeared, but some still weren't at ease. Camilla's appearance could mean that the beast was indeed nearby. Not often, though, did the people of Spira listen to skeptics. 

Camilla was back in the great hall not long after she woke up. Her sleep was fitful, with dreams that focused on the last events she had witnessed in Zanarkand. She came inside to see if Mep had any answers, if she could find him. Perhaps partially solving the Braska mystery would help clear her mind. At the least it would be off of Zanarkand and all that went with it.

"You're awake. Good. I was afraid a fiend had slipped in during the night and killed you or something," Mep called across the hall. "Of course, that's a task easier said than done. For the fiend, that is."

She tried to give a smile. "I guess having a run in with Sin really takes a lot out of you."

Mep cleared his throat. "About that." He walked closer to her. "I believe it would be best for you to start working on getting your memory back. Once you do, you can go back to wherever it is you're from and get back to your normal life."

Camilla was tempted to say, "Yeah, I'll just go back to my destroyed city and try to carry on with my 'normal' life. Hopefully I'll find all the bodies of my friends lying around. How would that be?" But, instead, she just nodded. She simply didn't have enough energy to retort.

The priest of Yevon stepped even closer to her, almost as if he was trying to cover up their words. Of course, being a part of Yevon was all about secrets, so this was indeed nothing new. "Yesterday, Deim told me that you were carrying a weapon with you when she found you."

"My katana!" Camilla gasped. "Where is it?"

Mep seemed nervous. "Well, you see, I'm not quite sure. When I got to the town, it was not on your person, but Deim did say you had it. I wonder who took it, hmm?"

The citizen of Zanarkand tried to control her anger. That was her katana, damn it, and if someone else had it she was going to kill that particular person. The fact that this was a strange world, full of strange people, didn't help matters, either. She turned around and started to walk out of the temple, but Mep was quick to follow her.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her behind one of the columns in the shady portion of the courtyard. "I found it while you were sleeping. Someone had brought it to the temple because it bore the symbol of Yevon, and they thought that it had to belong to a warrior monk. The thing is, no warrior monk's sword actually bears this symbol. So, I'm assuming that it's yours."

"Where is it?" Camilla growled. She was not in the mood for puzzles and games.

Only two words lefts Mep's mouth before he dragged her across the courtyard into the monks' chambers. "Follow me."

On the table in the middle of the room was Camilla's katana, unscathed. She picked it up and held it, partly wondering how she was going to carry it. She was not going to let this thing leave her side again, not for the life of her.

Mep watched her examine the sword for any potential damage. A grimace crossed his face. "Tell me, Camilla, where did you get this sword?"

Camilla looked at him strangely. Since when did he care? Better yet, since when was he willing to believe her? She raised an eyebrow. "I got it in Zanarkand. A little boy gave it to me. I never did catch his name…"

The priest's eyes went wide. "Was this little boy wearing a purple robe?"

"Yes," Camilla said slowly, watching him mysteriously. Something was definitely up.

"But…that's impossible." Mep's voice started out normal, then slowly descended to a mutter. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, pondering something. "Summoners wield staves for the most part, so that cannot be why the fayth reached out to you. But then there's always…" He looked up at her. "Did the little boy call you any particular name?"

Reluctantly, Camilla opened that can of worms. She reflected back on her last night Zanarkand, and tried to remember what the little boy had said. It took a lot of effort, though, to hold back the other memories that threatened take over her mind. The ones of Auron, Tidus, and Jilah all stood on the edge of the dam, just waiting for it to yield. But Camilla refused to let it. With great difficulty, she remembered the name. "Green Mage, I think."

At those words, Mep gasped. It's not often that a priest of Yevon is surprised by anything, but this definitely had caught him unawares. Those were two words he'd never thought he'd hear in the same sentence in the present tense. Every member of the Yevon clergy was forbidden to speak of it. They were to act like it didn't exist. Some actually believed it didn't. But, this was the proof. "If you are the Green Mage," he said slowly, "then this must be the Katana of Brilliance-the only weapon besides a summoner's staff that can defeat Sin."

Camilla blinked quite a few times. "What?"

Mep sighed and took a seat at the table. He indicated for Camilla to do the same. "There is an old Spiran legend that Yevon has hidden from its citizens for a thousand years, or at least as long as Sin has reigned. For these past generations, summoners have been the only ones with the power to destroy Sin, but there is another with this ability. That is the Green Mage. It is said that this mage could help a summoner defeat Sin, without having the summoner give up their lives in the attempt. And there is a way that this mage could not only defeat Sin, but defeat it forever."

"Why would, uh, Yevon hide it, then? Isn't that a good thing?" Camilla asked.

The priest clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "If this mage manages to help defeat Sin forever, Yevon would lose its power over the people. Sin keeps Yevon in power and in control of Spira. The maesters would never allow this mage to live, if they truly existed." He looked at Camilla. "In spite of this, the fayth don't lie. If you were called the Green Mage, then I'm afraid it's the truth, no matter what the cost may to be Yevon or your personal health."

Camilla couldn't believe what she was hearing! She wasn't some savior or whatever…was she? "So, what you're saying is, I could help a summoner defeat Sin, with my little dinky katana? No way in blitzball."

At the mention of Spira's favorite sport, Mep had to chuckle. For a moment his mind thought about the techniques he was trying to master (and how he was trying to beg Larbeight to let him try out for the team), but soon it was back to the matter at hand. "I believe blitzball has nothing to do with this. Your katana isn't dinky at all. It holds great power. That power just has to be unlocked, and then you would be ready to defeat Sin."

"Oh? And how do you suppose I can go about doing that?" Camilla posed, staring straight at Mep. She was ready to laugh at his answer.

On the far side of the chamber, there was a locked chest. Mep dug into his robes and pulled out a key, and opened it. From it he pulled out a small wooden box, and then sat back down. He slid the cover off the box, which bore the same symbol as Camilla's katana (now known as one of the symbols of Yevon), to reveal a bunch of green-tinted spheres. He offered them to Camilla.

She picked one up and examined it. Inside there was the form of some kind of beast. She looked at the priest with curiosity. "What are these?"

"They are every Green Magic sphere that could be found within Kilika, Besaid, and whatever ruins may lie south of the mainland," Mep replied. "There are only ten here, but there are nearly forty total."

Camilla blinked. "Forty? You expect me to find forty of these things? And let me guess, they're spread all over the place, right?"

"Wrong," the priest said. "Most, if not all, are gathered at the temples. That is so the every day person never finds them. Of course, the spheres are useless without the sword." He indicated to her katana.

Silence crept over the small chamber, sinking into the air and building tension. Camilla sighed. "So, even with the sword and the spheres, I'm still useless, right? I need a summoner to aid. That's what it sounds like, at least."

Mep nodded. "This is true. Some of the legends say a Green Mage could defeat Sin on her own, but I doubt you'd be allowed without some summoning demonstration involving the fayth, and mages of any kind don't have that kind of power. You can summon beasts to aid you in battle and sometimes outside thereof, but not to a summoner's extent." He picked up one of the spheres and examined it. He recognized the symbol inside as the spell Cura. "Sadly, I do not know of any summoners you can aid yet. At least, I have not received any news from Bevelle."

"Well, that royally bites," Camilla muttered. "Since we have some time to kill waiting on a dinky summoner, how 'bout you teach me how to use this thing? I mean, I've got a fighting technique down 'cause of the mass of fiends that attacked Zanarkand before it was destroyed, but I have no idea how to use the spheres and summon and stuff."

The priest of Yevon chose not to comment on most of her statement. "All right. The best place to train around here is the jungle. Follow me."

* * *

Camilla held her katana perpendicular to her torso, parallel to the ground with her right hand. In her left she held one of the spheres Mep had given her earlier. She was awaiting instruction from the priest.

Mep took in a deep breath, recalling the old lessons he'd been taught as a teenager ascending through the ranks of the Yevon priesthood. "Now, place the sphere into the sword."

"What?" Camilla asked. She stared first at him, then at the weapon in her hand. "That's impossible! There's no where to put it."

"Just do it," the priest insisted.

After a bit more grumbling, the citizen of Zanarkand did it. The sphere disappeared into the katana, and a strange kind of intangible power seemed to emanating from it. Well, at least that appeared to be the correct way to do it.

"Excellent!" Mep exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Now, summon Ifrit."

Camilla nodded. She concentrated on the little sphere she had just "dropped" into her katana. "Ifrit!" she called.

The sword glowed red for a moment, then out of the weapon appeared the hell demon with a heart of flame, Ifrit. He roared, the sound echoing throughout the surrounding jungle.

Mep chuckled. "I'm sure even the mighty Lord Ochu was afraid of that one."

"That doesn't mean I'm ready to face him. Especially if it's a particularly big fiend," Camilla said offhandedly, staring at Ifrit in awe. Never before in her life had she seen such a creature. It was one of those things where, although it looked fearsome and all, it also seemed to exude a strange kind of…warmth and gentleness.

"You'll be ready soon enough, I'm sure." Mep looked around, and then spotted a Ragora in the distance. "I believe your first test lies right over there."

Camilla turned and saw the plant fiend. She took in a deep breath. "Uh, right." She walked closer to it, Ifrit closely following her. She looked at the summon beast unsurely. "Um, attack it…please?"

Ifrit didn't change his position. He just stared blankly ahead.

The priest of Yevon couldn't help his laugh. Then he realized it was rude to laugh at other people's ignorance, and he straightened up. "I believe you have to give it a command. Ifrit's special attack is Hellfire. You could also use Meteor Strike, but Hellfire might be more effective against a plant fiend such as this one."

"Okay." Camilla looked at Ifrit, hoping that Mep wasn't lying to her. "Ifrit - Hellfire!"

The hell demon with a heart of flame swooped into action. The ground beneath him became something akin to a pool of lava, and it then shot him up into the sky. In moments he was behind the ball of lava and flame, and he threw it at the fiend. Within seconds it was no more that a cloud of pyreflies.

Camilla blinked, remembering the last time she'd seen a mass of pyreflies like that. The fading body of the Ragora turned into the fading body of a huge, black fiend. It stood not in the midst of a jungle, but in the middle of an overpass, surrounded by the buildings of Zanarkand, which even then were crumbling before her eyes. She couldn't help the tears that came to her, but she fought them. Now was not the time for crying.

"Congratulations," Mep said, walking up to her. "I believe you've just defeated your first fiend. Not bad, for a rookie." He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Are you all right?"

She quickly wiped away any signs of tears that may have been on her face. She looked at him, smiling as best she could. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just suddenly reminded of…home."

Mep hesitated to use his initial response. Finally, he just said it. "Zanarkand, you mean?"

In an instant she whirled around to face him. A look of disbelief crossed her face. "Since when do you believe me about Zanarkand anyway?"

"Well, I've started to think about what you said about the fayth," Mep began. "And it occurred to me that if the fayth talked to you, and entrusted you with the title of Green Mage, then it's not really out of the realm of the possibility that you really _are_ from Zanarkand, is it?"

"No, I guess it's not," Camilla replied. She stared at the ground, her mind suddenly wondering what had become of Tidus and Auron. She hoped that neither of them had ended up in someplace dangerous, like a pile of ruins infested with strange fiends. Thinking about them, though, had its consequences. She kept seeing Zanarkand in its final moments, Auron's face as he urged her to continue on, and the last she'd seen of Jilah at the stadium. One odd memory appeared among the rest, the one of seeing Jecht floating inside Sin. It couldn't possibly have been really him, but that didn't change the fact that she had seen him. What did that mean?

"Are all the citizens of Zanarkand prone to spacing out?" Mep asked, interrupting any and all thoughts Camilla might have had.

She wasn't sure if that was his attempt at a joke or not, but either way, it didn't help. She gave him a weak smile and then headed up towards the temple steps. The idea of training suddenly didn't appeal to her. She seemed too tired to move, but perhaps that was only because of the overwhelming mixture of confusion and grief in her heart. She had an urge to cry, whether out of frustration or sadness she couldn't tell. She fought the urge all the way up the temple stairs, through the courtyard, and to the doorway of her temporary chambers. Once there, inside the safety of solitude, she cried. She hadn't cried in years, probably not since her parents had died when she was seventeen.

If there was any resistance left inside her, it faded when she hit the bed stomach-first, her face diving into the pillows. Silent tears fell at full force, driven on by memories and disconnected sentences. Words and scenes played in her head, none of them making sense. She remembered them well enough, but why they had happened was something she couldn't comprehend. Perhaps that's why she cried. It wasn't because she couldn't handle the events, but it was because she didn't see the reason behind it; that's what brought the tears.

_"Go!" Auron said._

Tidus glanced at him and ran ahead. Camilla paused looking at him. She wanted to ask him so many questions, if only she had the time. "Auron-"

"Go," he repeated, only a bit softer. Behind the cool exterior and sunglasses, she could tell there was a gentle pleading in his eyes, because it showed in his voice.

The reminder of the scene begot a fresh torrent of tears. These she could identify. These were tears of frustration. Under normal circumstances, she would've thought, any normal person would've told her specifically to run the other way, to leave, but not Auron. No, Auron had practically encouraged her to run ahead and get sucked into Sin. It was almost as if he wanted her to go there, to be brought into this world of madness.

But why? Why did he want her here? Why didn't he tell her to run the other way? It wasn't like he knew about the Green Mage thing. She hadn't told him, and unless he knew the symbol on her katana by sight… The thought occurred to her. What if he did know? There was a lot that he hadn't told her over the course of ten years, but it was impossible that he knew that insignia. If she didn't, how could he? That was logical…right?

Camilla sighed heavily, wiping tears from her eyes, now angry more than anything else. She tossed a spare pillow across the room and watched with satisfaction as it bounced off the opposite wall and knocked over a miniature statue of a high summoner. The sigh turned into a groan as she went to pick it up. For a long minute, she stared at the figure, both wondering at the detail and contemplating its likeness. "Braska," she thought, for that was who the stone carving depicted. Something about the man was familiar. She shook her head and put it back on the shelf. She sat down on the bed, staring at her sheath less katana.

If and when she found Auron, he would have a lot of explaining to do.


End file.
